1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a robot device, or a manipulator, which is capable of shifting a speed changing mechanism of an automotive vehicle in place of human being. More particularly, it is concerned with an automobile driving robot device having a transmission mechanism operating device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For a better understanding of the invention, the conventional transmission mechanism operating device for this kind of robot device will be explained in reference of FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B of the accompanying drawing.
FIG. 1 shows an interior of an automobile cabin, wherein a reference numeral 1 designates a vehicle body, a numeral 2 refers to a transmission (or speed changing) mechanism, a reference numeral 3 denotes a transmission operating lever projecting from the main body 2a of the transmission mechanism 2, a reference numeral 4 designates pedals, and a numeral 5 refers to the transmission mechanism operating device in the robot device. In this transmission mechanism operating device 5, an operating link 7, which is to be joined to the transmission operating lever 3 at one end thereof, is connected with an operating shaft projected from the main body 5a of the transmission operating device 5 at other end thereof through a crank. A numeral 10 refers to a portion of a passenger seat or a vehicle body, on which the main body 5a of the transmission mechanism operating device 5 is installed.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operating principle of the transmission mechanism operating device shown in FIG. 1. It is to be noted that, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, those parts which are identical with those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.
In the drawing, a numeral 11 refers to a rubber cushion for mounting the main body 2a of the transmission mechanism 2 on the vehicle body 1 with a certain degree of freedom.
As shown by a dot-and-dash line in FIG. 2A, the speed changing operation can be done by shifting the operating lever 3 of the transmission mechanism 2 along slots or channels in the form of a letter "H", or a design like " ". In the case of manual shifting of the abovementioned operating lever 3 by human being, it is shifted by hand. However, when durability of the transmission mechanism 2 is to be tested, several hundred thousands of operations are required, which operations are extremely difficult to be performed with human hands. It is therefore contemplated that the speed changing lever 3 is operated mechanically by use of a robotized transmission mechanism operating device 5 without requiring a human operator. In more detail, for shifting the speed changing lever 3 in the left and right directions, the operating shaft 6 is lineraly moved in a manner to slide into and out of the main body 5a of the transmission mechanism operating device 5. Also, for moving the speed changing lever 3 in the back and forth directions, the operating link 7 is moved back and forth by rotating the operating shaft 6 on its axis.
With the above-described basic movements as the fundamentals for the speed changing operations, the position of the speed changing lever 3 at every mode of its speed changing operation is memorized so that the transmission mechanism operating device 5 may shift the speed changing lever 3 to a required position in a sequential and repeated manner in accordance with speed changing instructions such as, for example, "third speed", "forth speed", and so on.
Incidentally, the abovementioned main body 5a of the operating device 5 is mounted on one part 10 of the passenger seat or the vehicle body, while the main body 2a of the speed changing mechanism 2 is mounted on the vehicle body 1 through a rubber cushion 11. Such way of mounting is to prevent vibration or to secure safety by providing an escape against deformation of the vehicle body during cruising of the automobile, the expedient of which is therefore indispensable. As the result of adopting such mounting expedient, however, there arise inconveniences to be described hereinbelow in the conventional robotized operating device for the speed changing mechanism. That is to say, as shown by a dash line in FIG. 2B, the speed changing mechanism 2 possibly takes an inclined position from its originally mounted position as shown by a solid line in the same drawing with respect to the vehicle body. Such tilting phenomenon is often seen as a very common phenomenon when a large torque is applied to an output shaft of the speed changing mechanism 2. In case this speed changing mechanism 2 is tilted, the transmission mechanism operating device 5 for the speed changing mechanism 2 remains at its mounted positioned, on account of which there occurs the same movement as that when the speed changing lever 3 is shifted with the consequence that there are brought about such inconveniences that the gear is disengaged unexpectedly during the driving, or the speed changing lever 3 can not be engaged at a predetermined gear position. And, by the abovementioned phenomenon to occur in the speed changing mechanism 2, the position and posture of the speed changing mechanism 2 vary in all directions, i.e., left-and-right, back-and-forth, up-and-down, with the consequence that the operation of the transmission mechanism operating device 5 becomes extremely difficult, and, in some cases, the operating device for the transmission mechanism is disadvantageously unable to exhibit its function to the fullest extent.